Hang on for a Wild Ride!
A lot of things just changed over the weekend. Big Time! The Dodgers are in sole possession of First Place hopefully to never relinquish it! Matt Kemp got his mojo back. Kenley Jansen got his back too. Kike Hernandez just rises to any occasion: HR, defense, bunt! The Dodgers won 3 back-to-back-to back games by the same score, 3-2. When was the last time that happened? Like NEVER . but I
A lot of things just changed over the weekend. Big Time!
- The Dodgers are in sole possession of First Place… hopefully to never relinquish it!
- Matt Kemp got his mojo back.
- Kenley Jansen got his back too.
- Kike Hernandez just rises to any occasion: HR, defense, bunt!
- The Dodgers won 3 back-to-back-to back games by the same score, 3-2. When was the last time that happened? Like NEVER…. but I didn’t look it up. It just sounded good to me.
- Alex Verdugo showed me he can work a walk in a tight situation – He didn’t bite when they worked just outside the zone. We know he has excellent bat-to-ball skills, so why not lead him off? That might result in fewer solo home runs.
- Maybe Dodgers fans were expecting Manny Ramirez… but they got Manny Machado – a good OB% defensive shortstop who strikes out 25% of the time and has a little pop. Based upon what I have seen, I would offer him a 5 year/$80 million dollar deal.
Yadier Alvarez
From Michael J. Duarte on Twitter:
Yadier Alvarez got in an argument last night with Drillers management about his slated start on Sun. (It’s believed he did not want to pitch in a meaningless game with playoffs clinched and wanted to pitch in 1st games of playoff series with Arkansas starting on Weds).
Alvarez reportedly packed up his locker and took an UBER from Springfield, MO to Tulsa, OK. A 3-hour ride traveling over 180 miles. He’s been unreachable today (the day he was supposed to start).
The Dodgers payed Yadier Alvarez $16 million to sign. He has made his money and is fat and sassy, to say nothing of the fact that he is not a rocket scientist. I have always heard through several sources that Alvarez is lazy, moody and refuses to train hard or prepare. AC nailed it, Yadier feels entitled… after all he is the “anointed one.” He was given the big money because he is so great. He believes his press clippings, but the fact of the matter is that he averages about the same number of walks (8) as strikeouts (9) per 9 innings.
The Dodgers could suspend him, but his salary is nothing compared to his signing bonus which he already has. Oh, the Dodgers could seek to get some of it back if they suspended him, but right about now, they need to just clean up this mess and smooth it over. Next, get Derek Jeter’s people on the phone and make a deal. Stick a fork in him… he’s done as a Dodger.
FAZ tried to sign several Cubans as did Ned Colletti. I guess Yasiel Puig was a success, but most of the others, including Olivera, Alvarez, Guerrero, Arruebarrena (the jury is out on Diaz) were colossal flops. FAZ pushed the envelope in order to get an advantage, but it certainly hasn’t worked. Hopefully, they have learned that throwing big bucks to Cuban players is not the path to success. That’s not to say that there won’t be others.
Injury Report
- Julio Urias has thrown 10 and 2/3 innings and has accumulated 19 strikeouts, but something happened in his last outing and it looks like they just might shut him down for the season. That is probably the best thing – Don’t push it! It doesn’t sound like it’s physical… just maybe rust?
- John Axford is off crutches, but has not yet resumed throwing. I doubt we see him before the 15th.
- Chicken Strip pitched a bullpen session yesterday and if he’s fine today, he will likely come off the DL later this week.
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Discussion (90)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Unreal the way this team strands runners. Grandal should have never hit. Puig has to go with the pitch. Just terrible.
Another dips.. non move by Roberts. Grandal has to be ph for in the clutch!! Puig is dp guy you have to start runner our fastest runner!!
A few observations…
1 – Wood nibbles too much – so he doesn’t put hitters away. He doesn’t trust his stuff. He was really hanging his curve in the 5th
2 – Roberts’ management of the bullpen in the 6th was absurd. He burned 3 pitchers when he didn’t have to.
3 – Does Alexander make everyone else as nervous as he makes me?
4 – The 7th – 1st and 3rd and no one out, can’t score. Grandal looked pathetic up there.
For me the failure of the Dodgers to score with 1st and 3rd with no outs falls completely on Grandal’s shoulders. All he needed to do was make contact and hit a fly ball. But, he decides he has to hit it out on every swing. He had no good reason to get upset after that at bat, except to be upset at his own approach.
1 for 7 RISP
That was a pitiful at bat by Kike in the bottom 8th. He had no reason to swing at what he made strike 2. I like Kike, but he should of done a lot better than that.
Even the Mets can get a hit WRISP.
Well 1st place felt pretty good……………….for a moment.
first place was fun, while it lasted
Don’t forget Grandal hit a wall last year and only got 1 start in the WS last year as I recall. Catching is a tough position that takes a heavy toll on your legs, but geez he’s horrible lately. 1st and 3rd w/ no outs all he needs is a fly ball and he K’s.
Loved the D-Backs series but this team is entirely too dependent on the long ball for runs. Can’t string together three or four hits in an inning= one run games. Gotta get fixed.
And those at bats after Degrom left the game, were against the worse pen in all of baseball.
And we still couldn’t get the job done.
And no one even hit a solo HR against this bad pen.
I don’t think beating the Dbacks was a good gauge for us, because they were probably already on a downward trend, before they met us.
Well we had beaten the Mets 12 straight games. We were due for a loss. Come back and take the next 2 and it’s all good.
According to the Met announcers the ball Cody hit ricocheted off the wall directly to right fielder. With his speed Bellinger might have made it to second, and maybe not.
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Meanwhile why couldn’t Grandal hit that fly ball in his previous at bat?
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Therealten, can’t disagree that hitting for Grandal earlier might have been the best move at that time. It wouldn’t have been good for his ego, but it might also have served as a wake-up call for him to change his approach.
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Kemp choked!!! 🙂
I agree, Grandal looked terrible striking out. It is on the players. They know what needs to be done. However, they all swing for the fence except Turner. This almost tells me it is a culture within the team or with management. We had runners on second and third and nobody has scored. A fly ball or a ground out will get us a run.
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Verdugo looks like a player. I was hoping to see Toles more, but they now have a long bench. These are four guys I wish would not see the field very often right now. They are Grandal, Taylor, Pederson, and Puig. Barnes is not any better. We just do not have a good situation at catcher. The only thing I can see with the catchers is let one play three innings and then pinch hit for him, then let another catch until the sixth inning and then pinch hit for him. We have four catchers now.
Some of us thought that Verdugo should have been brought up earlier to help set the table. We found out tonight how wrong we were. Setting the table for the Dodgers is a waste of time, since no one will knock you in.
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Actually, with his ability to get on base via hits or walks, Verdugo should probably be leading off in front of Turner, Manny and Bellinger.
Amazing. Wood gives up one run in 5 innings, and he is the problem. If velo was what identified a great pitcher, Greg Maddux would not be HOF. Maybe it is because Maeda is not the great reliever some think he is. He gives up a 3 run HR and Wood and his lower velo is the problem? And Kershaw and his drop in velo is not a problem? Roberts using 3 relievers in one inning is not a problem! It is Wood’s loss in velocity. Maybe FAZ should just put him on the DL for the rest of the season, then people would not have to worry about his drop in velo anymore.
Now this the LADT I remeber… The torches are burning and the villagers have hit cobblestones looking for Doc’s kids…
I think the Grandal abuse is now mind boggling…
We win the next two…Easy peasy…
Mark, I like your 2nd guessers are always right theory. However Robert’s make 2nd guessers have life nightly, and that is why he needs to go. Letting Ferguson face one in the 9th yesterday did not work out and it was the wrong baseball move. Robert’s was saved a la 2017 from his idiocy. Tonight he was not and his losing moves were as follows:
Grandal hitting .094 in his last 30 games, was allowed to hit in a game changing and winning spot. Also he is one of the worst hitters in the league with risp, actually bottom 5. Therefore, since we have three catchers on the roster, we have Dozier, Utley and Freese on the bench, what does he do let’s him bat and he strikes out. Then Puig, Up 2 and 0, likely to see a fastball, perfect hit and run opportunity to stay out of DP, not on Robert’s watch,inning ends. Our comes his trusty little notecard to write stick figures I would imagine?
Top 9, mostly lefties coming up, Maeda expressing in Texas about the anxiety of 9th innings, is sent back out. Ok but with expanded rosters let’s at least get Madsen up? No, empty pen, lead off double, empty pen still, hit Mcneil, okay Madsen to face Nimmo, no let’s just sit on my hands and try to pull one more rabbit out of my hat. Oh well, Kemp will save me tomorrow.
Don’t get me started on him managing the sixth inning like it was the season on the line instead of just going from Baez to Floro and leaving it at that. Then, guess what, still have Rosscup for a lefty in a tough spot when the game is really on the line. Oh like Nimmo in the 9th lol
He needs to go, please